Go electric in 2017?

As the council prepares to install up to 125 new electric car charging points, more residents can now consider making the switch to zero-emission electric motoring.

The installation programme will see 20 to 25 ‘charging
stations’ created across the borough, each containing two to five individual
charging points.

Currently there are only a handful of public charging points
in Wandsworth so this roll-out will bring electric motoring within reach for
many more local households.

The first 17 stations will be installed in the first quarter
of 2017, providing around 50 charging points. The remainder will be installed later
in the year.

The new charging points will be part of the Source London network, which allows
members to recharge their vehicles at hundreds of locations around the city.

The installation programme comes as demand for electric
motoring is increasing within Wandsworth and across London.

Currently there are more than 400 registered electric
vehicle users within the borough - up from 97 in 2013. Source London has also
recorded a major increase in requests for network membership during 2016 as
demand continues to rise.

Because of their low emissions, electric vehicles contribute
towards improving local air quality and are exempt from both the London
congestion charge and the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone charges, which are set
to come into force in September 2020.

Environment spokesperson Councillor Jonathan Cook said: “We
want to enhance the infrastructure in the borough and increase opportunities
for people to choose more environmentally friendly lifestyles.

“I hope that the installation of these new charging points
will encourage even more people to make the change to electric motoring and
play their part in reducing air pollution.

“This is just part of our wider programme of air quality
initiatives, including a wide ranging awareness campaign, championing car clubs,
and pressing TfL for an outright ban on all diesel buses on Putney High Street
and other congested corridors.”

The installation programme is expected to take around six
months and will be funded by Bluepointlondon Limited, who manage the
Source London electric vehicle charging point network, with zero cost to
the taxpayer.

For those who would like to make the switch but are
concerned about the initial cost, the government offers a Plug-In Car and Van Grant
for new vehicles. For more information, visit the grant
webpage.

Other steps the council is taking to tackle air pollution
include:

A ban on day-time deliveries on Putney High
Street.

Lobbying for higher capacity rail, bus, riverbus
and tube services so more residents can switch from cars to public transport.

A rolling programme of environmental theatre
productions in local schools to teach children how their travel choices affect
air quality.

Helping schools develop school travel plans
which reduce the number of cars used on the school run through initiatives like
'walking buses' and car pools.

The council's Smarter Driving campaign
encourages drivers to take simple steps like fully inflating their tires to
reduce their emissions. It also provides free vehicle emission checks in public
places like supermarket car parks.

Promoting cycling and investing in the borough’s
cycle network. Wandsworth now has the fastest growing cycle rate in the country
according to Government statistics.

Free bike safety lessons for children and adults
to give more residents the confidence and skills they need to start cycling,
and 'Dr Bike' cycle surgeries to promote cycling and teach residents basic
maintenance skills.

A free airTEXT messaging service warns residents
when high pollution levels are forecast.

Making the borough more pedestrian friendly,
including projects in Clapham Junction, Southfields, Putney and Earlsfield.

View comments on this article

Recent comments

I too have a diesel, would love to move to electric, please get these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaEhBjt1ls in Earlsfield (https://www.ubitricity.com/en). I would swap to electric in a heartbeat if every lamppost in the area could be used to charge the car.

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16 June 2017

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Abbie

16 June 2017

I currently drive a diesel but would like to move to electric. However I would be more incentivized to buy an electric plug-in-car if I could get a dedicated on-street parking space outside my house. The reason behind this is that I would like to install rooftop solar tiles, that would charge a Tesla Powerwall (Battery), that I would then use to charge my car. There is no point me doing any of this if I never can get a space outside my house, which is challenging given I get home from work fairly late. First world problems I know but surely the local council should encourage people willing to go green and spend their own post-tax earnings on it?

John

5 April 2017

I believe Hounslow council are trying the street light body option.
The Nissan Leaf electric car info pack suggests an outdoor connection ( off road ) could be installed for around £300, could that be used by the householder/ council as a contribution to the street light idea.

d shackley

10 February 2017

£4 a month plus cost per kw for the charge is impractical. Those who can charge at home will not need these local chargers and those coming into Wandsworth from afar will not wish to pay monthly for a year just for the privilege of being charged a lot for charging. The Rapid chargers outside Wandsworth will be of much more use Faster and cheaper in the Long run.

David Meer

24 January 2017

I have considered an electric car, but I have to park it on the street. The only viable option is to put charging points into the streetlight poles and then charging would be available to the majority of Wandsworth drivers, without having to run a cable across the pavement. 125 more charging points are not nearly enough for over 300,000 people.

John Carter

23 January 2017

Great to hear we are getting more charging points but frankly still makes owning an electrical vehicle impractical. The number of charging points is still to few meaning that you have to get to and from your home/ workplace to the charging station hoping that someone has not already taken that place. Sorry but most people are not going to make their busy lives more impractical by doing this. My suggestion, allow people to apply for electric charging points to be created outside or near their houses/ flats where there is a need. I would get an electric car but my nearest charging station 1.5km away. I have no off street parking and my only other option to run a charging cable across the pavement.

Dave

22 January 2017

As mentioned we need more charging points in residential streets. I would love to get an electric car but with no off road parking charging become a bit of an issue.

Mike

21 January 2017

Community charging points are a great step forward, but unless people have a convenient way and certainty on their ability to charge their EV overnight, uptake will be linited. Install charging stations in residential streets without offstreet parking and EVs will follow. Current policy is holding back EV growth and keeping air polluted. Its just too slow, cleaning up the air needs more radical action.

Thorsten Querfurt

21 January 2017

What an amazing and progressive council. This is a fantastic project and I hope it encourages more people to buy electric vehicles instead of populating diesel vehicles. It would be helpful if our new major kept to his election promise of cleaner air for all Londoners.

Jemma Brannan

20 January 2017

Great news with the charging points. With regards to reducing school run traffic, why not make public transport free for one adult taking a child to and from school and the child has to be in school uniform (obviously only in term time and between say 7-9am and 3-4pm) ?